Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society
Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society is a pamphlet that was printed and distributed enmasse by the Ministry of Magic while it was under Lord Voldemort's control during the height of the Second Wizarding War. It was written by Dolores Umbridge, head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, and contained propaganda against Muggle-borns, disparagingly referred to as "Mudbloods". Content and purpose The pamphlets were pink, with the title in orange letters. Beneath the title was a picture of "a red rose with a simpering face in the middle of its petals, being strangled by a green weed with fangs and a scowl". Evidently, this was the metaphor the Death Eater-controlled Ministry wanted to make regarding Muggle-borns being allowed into the wizarding world, which they believed should be reserved for pure-bloods. Presumably, the pamphlet also perpetrated the bigoted belief that Muggle-borns are inferior to those with wizarding heritage. Known contents included: "Mudbloods & the Dangers They Post to the Wizarding World", "How to Recognise a Mudblood", "What to Do When Faced with Mudbloods", "The Importance of a Pure-Blood Society", details on the Mudbloods Relocation Program, and copies of Ministerial Decree Number 184 and Number 188. (see these images) Production and dissemination Harry Potter came across a dozen wizards and witches creating hundreds of the pamphlets when he, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger infiltrated the Ministry in September of 1997. Harry suspected that Umbridge was the author. This was partly because one of the manufacturers asked a fellow employee if "the old hag" would be "interrogating Mudbloods all day", and partly because the scars on the back of his hand, caused by his many punishments by Umbridge in his fifth year, "seemed to tingle" as he read the front of the pamphlet. Its dissemination was part of a larger effort to discriminate against Muggle-borns, which included requiring them to register with the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, stripping them of their wands and jobs, imprisoning them in Azkaban for supposedly stealing magic, and teaching anti-Muggle and Muggle-born propaganda at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which also did not allow any Muggle-born students. Presumably, this propaganda was no longer produced after Lord Voldemort's defeat and the reform of the Ministry of Magic in 1998. Behind the scenes * In , the pamphlet is subtitled "The Dangers They Pose to a Perfect Pure-Blood Society". The image described as appearing on the cover in the novel is also absent from the pamphlet in the film. Props from the film, however, show that the images showcasing the rose and weeds symbolism were moved to the interior content instead. Appearances * * * Notes and references de:Schlammblüter und die Gefahren, die sie für eine friedliche reinblütige Gesellschaft darstellen es:Los sangre sucia y los peligros que representan para una pacífica sociedad sangre pura fr:Les Sang-de-Bourbe et les Dangers qu'ils représentent pour une société de Sang-Pur désireux de vivre en paix ru:Грязнокровки, и чем они опасны для мирного чистокровного сообщества pl:Szlamy i zagrożenie, jakim są dla pokojowego Społeczeństwa Czystej Krwi pt-br:Sangues-ruins e os Perigos que Oferecem a uma Sociedade Pacífica de Sangues Puros Category:Muggle-Born Registration Commission Category:Pamphlets